The Fellowship of Lifea Christian-based vegetarian group founded in 1973

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Bishop urges animal rights code

The time was right for a charter to protect animals from cruelty and
abuse, urged Bishop Agnellus Andrew, president of the Catholic Study
Circle for Animal Welfare, at the weekend.

"Great cruelties are inflicted on animals - sometimes in an
organised way for economic reasons, sometimes almost heedlessly and
without care," said the Bishop.

He was speaking at Westminster Cathedral at a Mass which was
celebrated as part of the annual World Day of Prayer for Animals.

The Bishop asked: "Has perhaps the time come to work for a
charter for the defence and protection of the animal world? There
are many problems to be faced. I need hardly tell you of the wide
range of problems - vivisection, often under cruel conditions, cruel
experiments for scientific or even cosmetic purposes and some
practices concerning performing animals."

Similar services were held at Westminster Abbey and Worcester
Cathedral as part of World Day of Prayer for Animals which is held
on the Sunday nearest the traditional Feast Day of St Francis of
Assisi, October 4.

At the Westminster Abbey service, Clive Hollands, Secretary of
the St Andrew Animal Fund, spoke of the "pitiless and greedy
exploitation of animals for food, clothing, sport, pleasure and
knowledge."

The main speaker at Worcester Cathedral was Lord Houghton,
chairman of the committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation.

This weekend the Christian Ecology Group holds its third annual
conference and among those attending will be Fr Basil Wrighton of
the Animal Welfare study circle, and the Anglican chaplain of the
University of Essex, Rev Andrew Linzey.